Final tally for James River Bridge steel deck tops $1 million

No complaints about bridge deck during icy weather

January 09, 2014|By Cathy Grimes, cgrimes@dailypress.com

Virginia Department of Transportation officials watched the James River Bridge steel deck closely in the recent sub-freezing temperatures. Temperatures and wind chills were so cold, spray from the river that landed on the bridge deck could freeze in minutes, creating slick conditions. VDOT spokeswoman Jennifer Gwaltney said special crews were assigned to monitor the bridge and respond quickly to prevent icy conditions.

The scrutiny came less than three months after the department installed 120,000 metal studs on the bridge's grid deck at a cost of $1,108,642. Gwaltney said that total included construction costs, VDOT management and administration costs and an incentive to Corman Construction for completing the job ahead of schedule. Corman finished the job three weeks ahead of schedule and earned a contract-stipulated, early completion bonus of $100,000.

Corman had estimated the work would cost more than $1 million.

The new studs were installed after a string of more than 20 vehicle accidents on the steel grid deck, which was installed in December 2012 at a cost of $3.8 million, but without studs to improve traction.

Most of the crashes occurred on the bridge's southbound lanes, and law enforcement officials who investigated the crashes said the common factor was loss of control of the vehicle on the wet bridge deck. Isle of Wight County Sheriff Mike Marshall was among those who pushed VDOT to solve the problem because his department saw a spike in the number of accidents on the bridge.

Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kristin Wilda said the department had not received reports of problems during the icy conditions of Jan. 7 and 8, when an arctic air mass sagged into the region, sending temperatures plummeting.

Gwaltney said VDOT has not received "any direct comments related to the stud installation since the project was completed" in October.